The unforgettable performances! The dramatic upsets! The scandals, the downhill, the thrills! As we gear up for Sochi’s Opening Ceremony, we've gathered together some legendary pics of the most breathtaking moments of the Winter Games - do you remember any of these?
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The Jamaican Bobsled Team The Calgary Games featured a story that not even Hollywood could write! The Jamaican Bobsled team was made up of sprinters and some military men who had never before competed in a winter sport. They crashed on their final run, but managed to get up and walk to the finish line as the crowd cheered! Their experience was dramatized in the 1993 film “Cool Runnings.” |
Torvill & Dean's "Bolero" dazzles the World 24 million viewers, on Valentine’s Day in 1984, watched British ice dancers Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean change the rules of their sport forever and mesmerize the world as they skated their way to Gold. Their choreography of Ravel's “Bolero” scored 12 perfect 6.0s and six 5.9s for technical merit – it was called “the perfect dance” and was the most memorable performance of Sarajevo. |
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Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan “Why, why, why?" It was the cry heard ‘round the world, and which started one of the most bizarre events in sports' history. US figure skater & gold medal favorite Nancy Kerrigan was savagely clubbed in the knee at the National Championships by the ex-husband of her rival Tonya Harding. She recovered in time to skate and an unbelievable 48.5% of American households watched. She finished second to 16 year-old Ukrainian Oksana Baiul. Harding finished eighth. |
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Crooked Judge creates Scoring Controversy A scandal hit the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. The Canadian Pairs team was awarded the Silver Medal, when they should have received Gold after flawlessly performing “Love Story” on the ice. But the Russian team won the Gold, despite a noticeable error in their routine. The crowd was upset with the judgment and fishy officiating was suspected. Eventually the French judge broke down and admitted ceding to pressure to throw the competition. |
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Michelle Kwan does not Win Gold The artistry of nine-time US Champion Michelle Kwan could move even the most weathered judges to tears. In 1994 her 'earned spot' on the Olympic team was awarded to the injured Kerrigan. In 1998 at Nagano, the USA had 2 darlings in a showdown, and 17 year-old Kwan’s 7 triple jumps narrowly lost out to the 7 triple jumps of 15 year-old Tara Lipinski as she cried in the arms of her coach. In 2002 Kwan and Sasha Cohen carried America’s hopes, but 16 year-old Sarah Hughes stole the Gold. |
Dan Jansen Wins Gold At Last He was the favorite in Calgary, but his sister's death from leukemia left him shaken, and he fell in his two events (500m & 1000m). Four years later he finished 4th & 26th in Albertville. Lillehammer was his final try. A slip in the 500 left him eighth and just about broke America's heart, but his agonizing ordeal ended in the 1,000. Dan’s victory lap, in which he held a tiny American flag with his daughter Jane (named after his late sister, to whom he dedicated his medal), was one of the most unforgettable moments in Olympic history. |
“No other Olympic performance has touched America the way that hockey team did,” writes columnist Kevin Allen. “People wept, strangers hugged each other, and groups around the country broke into stirring renditions of ‘God Bless America’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’” If you’ve never seen it, kick-back and enjoy the video highlights above. The "Miracle on Ice" was named by Sports Illustrated as the Top Sports Moment of the 20th Century, and its March 3rd issue ran a cover with just a photograph. It didn’t need any captions or a headline - because everyone in America knew what happened. The "Miracle On Ice" is without doubt the most well-known legend of the Winter Olympics. |
The brand new SLOPE STYLE! Those men and women are FEARLESS!!!
I've loved watching the figure skaters since I was a kid.
I love watching the ice skating! I was never good at it, but as I watch these Olympian athletes, I can dream. :-)
Love figure skating and snowboarding!
Snowboarding
My favorite Olympic event is all of them because it's so hard to choose just one. The athletes are amazing and mesmerizing to watch. They have such a tremendous talent from the gracefulness fluidity of the figure skaters to the amazing stunts done by the snowboarders and everyone else too.
Curling
Curling
Ice Skating. And sometimes watching the USA team play hockey.
i like the ice skating. it is so beautiful and elegant. I also like the bobledding competition as well but definately love the ice skating.
I love ice skating - its so graceful looking
I love the ski jump by the USA women's team!
SlopeStyle!! It's craziness on Skis and Snowboards. So entertaining to watch.
Thanks for these great reminders! I love most of the winter events....but probably this year a favorite is the moguls.
Gymnastics...the stories, like Kerry Strug when she did the vault injured...inspiring :)